photography doesn't have to be expensive. i used to be a darkroom co-ordinator for my university photoclub in ontario and the used camera stores would sell us old nikon/pentax/vivitar cameras for 20-45$ with lenses. they would sell them at cost or give us free ones that didn't have working light meters, winders, etc. that could be fixed up with the proper parts. there's lots of support for programs like that and if you're starting out "quality" is a foreign word. of course a contax slr with zeiss lenses will run you a few hundred, but a pentax k1000 with a 50mm lens goes for about 50$ on ebay and is a great starter camera that when used right can take just as good of photos as any contax/zeiss combo. there's worse ways to spend 50$ -i think it's an amazing project.
i work in a homeless shelter as a caseworker and every kid who walks through the door with addiciton issues basically started "experimenting" through boredom, peer pressure and a drive to be badass and hard. i think photography at least takes care of a couple of those variables. if they're spending their money on camera gear and film, it's hard to buy crack. |